Ed Smith spoke with Carmen Carrasquillo, Chief Program Officer and Cynthia Elliot, Director of Operations at the Community Place of Rochester.
-They talked about the mission of the Community Place and the various settlement houses that are now a part of the organization. The most recent merger was with the Baden Street settlement house.
-Cynthia talked about the history of the settlement houses and her personal experience growing up and being a part one of the settlement houses (Lewis Street Center)
-Cynthia says the organization is made up of employees and volunteers that all have the common goal of improving the lives of people in the local community.
-They talked about some of the issues facing people in the community, including poverty, crime, and family issues
-She talked about how they have a very good pulse on the needs of the community and work with local and state government leaders to keep them aware of the needs and demonstrate why the funding that supports the various programs they offer is so important.
-Carmen explained some of the programs they offer; family services, senior services, youth programs, and developmental disabilities services.
-She said they are looking to expand their early childhood program and youth program as they see a need for it.
-Cynthia talked about how they are working to develop more older teen programs as they have found over the years it is critical for teenagers to have a mentor to help guide them. She believes this is a step in the right direction to reduce crime commitment by teens in the city.
-She believes investing in youth now will pay off in the long run and make the entire community more prosperous.
-They have secured funding to develop and build
a teen center.
-Carmen described the aging services program and in particular the senior companion program that was designed to assist seniors that are isolated. They are looking for more volunteers for this program. She said there is a stipend program available for volunteers.
-They encouraged people to learn more about their organization and get involved by volunteering or making a monetary donation.
-Carmen said their recent Family Fun Day was successful and they will continue to do more community outreach programs.
-They talked about their Art of Giving 2024 fundraiser